EnergyOnline.com News

Sinkhole at Georgia Plant Spills Ash into Creek

7/30/2002

LCG, July 30, 2002-Engineers at Georgia Power's Bowen Electric Generating Plant, located near Cartersville, are trying to divert the flow of ash into Euharlee Creek.

On Monday Plant operators found a significant sinking of ash at a storage area of the plant.

Bowen is a coal-fired plant. Ash produced by the plant's four boilers is stored, dried and sold to the construction industry. Ash most likely sank because of elevated groundwater and the natural structure of sub-surface limestone. The plant has suffered several sinkholes since construction in the 1970's.

Reportedly, the ash will not have long-term negative effects on the creek or the Etowah River into which it flows.

Silt booms will be employed to filter out contaminated silt, and workers have been using a portable pump to move spillage to a safer area.